Experience-Mediated Plasticity in Mate Preferences: Mating Assurance in a Variable Environment

Fowler‐Finn, Kasey D.; Rodrı́guez, Rafael L.

doi:10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01446.x

Cited by 103 publications

(116 citation statements)

References 72 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

114

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Thus, any one female genotype may favour different male phenotypes (and genotypes) according to variation in the social environment, thereby promoting the maintenance of genetic variation in male mating signals. In addition, recent work in Enchenopa has demonstrated direct genetic variation in mate preferences [40], social influence on mate preferences [34,35,40] and genetic variation in this influence [this study]. In concert with previous theoretical and empirical work highlighting genetic components of variation in both sides of social interactions [14,20,23,41], genetic variation within populations may be sustained by the interplay between how plastic individuals are due to social interactions and how much influence social neighbours can exert on individual plasticity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

“…Mate preferences are function-valued traits [34][35][36]. That means that a female's sexual response is a function of the signals she encounters.…”

Section: (C) Assessing Variation In Mate Preferencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Males produce an advertisement signal, and if a female finds that signal attractive, she responds with her own signal [27,29]. A female's likelihood of responding is strongly correlated to the number of responses she gives to a signalling bout [29,34,35]. Thus, the number of times a female responds is a reliable indicator of male signal attractiveness.…”

Section: (C) Assessing Variation In Mate Preferencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tolerance describes the shape of the curves as they fall away from peak preference, measured as the width of the preference function at two-thirds the height of the peak preference. Strength describes the steepness of the curve's descent from peak preference, measured as the square of the coefficient of variation [34,35,38]. These three measurements are strongly correlated, so we performed a principal component analysis to generate the composite trait we term preference selectivity.…”

Section: (D) Description Of Female Preference Functionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The model included linear and quadratic terms for stimulus frequency and for their interaction with family. The family term describes differences in the overall responsiveness or mean elevation of the preference functions [34,38]. The family Â quadratic stimulus frequency interaction describes differences in the shape of the preference functions.…”

Section: (E) Statistical Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Genetic variation in social influence on mate preferences

Rebar

Rodrı́guez

2013

Proc. R. Soc. B.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Patterns of phenotypic variation arise in part from plasticity owing to social interactions, and these patterns contribute, in turn, to the form of selection that shapes the variation we observe in natural populations. This proximate-ultimate dynamic brings genetic variation in social environments to the forefront of evolutionary theory. However, the extent of this variation remains largely unknown. Here, we use a member of the Enchenopa binotata species complex of treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae) to assess how mate preferences are influenced by genetic variation in the social environment. We used full-sibling split-families as 'treatment' social environments, and reared focal females alongside each treatment family, describing the mate preferences of the focal females. With this method, we detected substantial genetic variation in social influence on mate preferences. The mate preferences of focal females varied according to the treatment families along with which they grew up. We discuss the evolutionary implications of the presence of such genetic variation in social influence on mate preferences, including potential contributions to the maintenance of genetic variation, the promotion of divergence, and the adaptive evolution of social effects on fitness-related traits.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

“…Mate preferences are function-valued traits [34][35][36]. That means that a female's sexual response is a function of the signals she encounters.…”

Section: (C) Assessing Variation In Mate Preferencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: (C) Assessing Variation In Mate Preferencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: (D) Description Of Female Preference Functionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: (E) Statistical Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Genetic variation in social influence on mate preferences

Rebar

Rodrı́guez

2013

Proc. R. Soc. B.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Variation in signal–preference genetic correlations in Enchenopa treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae)

Fowler‐Finn

Kilmer

Hallett

et al. 2015

Ecology and Evolution

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fisherian selection is a within-population process that promotes signal–preference coevolution and speciation due to signal–preference genetic correlations. The importance of the contribution of Fisherian selection to speciation depends in part on the answer to two outstanding questions: What explains differences in the strength of signal–preference genetic correlations? And, how does the magnitude of within-species signal–preference covariation compare to species differences in signals and preferences? To address these questions, we tested for signal–preference genetic correlations in two members of the Enchenopa binotata complex, a clade of plant-feeding insects wherein speciation involves the colonization of novel host plants and signal–preference divergence. We used a full-sibling, split-family rearing experiment to estimate genetic correlations and to analyze the underlying patterns of variation in signals and preferences. Genetic correlations were weak or zero, but exploration of the underlying patterns of variation in signals and preferences revealed some full-sib families that varied by as much as 50% of the distance between similar species in the E. binotata complex. This result was stronger in the species that showed greater amounts of genetic variation in signals and preferences. We argue that some forms of weak signal–preference genetic correlation may have important evolutionary consequences.

show abstract

Beyond temperature coupling: Effects of temperature on ectotherm signaling and mate choice and the implications for communication in multispecies assemblages

Symes

Rodrı́guez

Höbel

2017

Ecology and Evolution

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many organisms share communication channels, generating complex signaling environments that increase the risk of signal interference. Variation in abiotic conditions, such as temperature, may further exacerbate signal interference, particularly in ectotherms. We tested the effects of temperature on the pulse rate of male signals in a community of Oecanthus tree crickets, and for one focal species we also assessed its effect on female pulse rate preferences and motivation to seek mates. We confirm prior findings of temperature‐dependent signals that result in increasing signal similarity at lower temperatures. Temperature also affected several aspects of female preferences: The preferred pulse rate value was temperature dependent, and nearly perfectly coupled with signal pulse rate; the range of pulse rate values that females found attractive also increased with temperature. By contrast, the motivation of females to perform phonotaxis was unaffected by temperature. Thus, at lower temperatures the signals of closely related species were more similar and females more discriminating. However, because signal similarity increased more strongly than female discrimination, signal interference and the likelihood of mismating may increase as temperatures drop. We suggest that a community approach will be useful for understanding the role of environmental variability in the evolution of communication systems.

show abstract

Experience-Mediated Plasticity in Mate Preferences: Mating Assurance in a Variable Environment

Cited by 103 publications

References 72 publications

Genetic variation in social influence on mate preferences

Genetic variation in social influence on mate preferences

Variation in signal–preference genetic correlations in Enchenopa treehoppers (Hemiptera: Membracidae)

Beyond temperature coupling: Effects of temperature on ectotherm signaling and mate choice and the implications for communication in multispecies assemblages

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About